If you happen to get a random call from a Google employee or any other tech company employee letting you know that someone from overseas has tried to access your account, don’t fall for it, says the FBI in an article posted on Forbes.com. Over the past few months, some people have received scam phone calls from a spoofed Google caller ID and the FBI is warning citizens to stay clear.
In this latest phony tech support type attack, AI technology was used to impersonate a real person who claimed to represent someone from the Google support team, warning the unsuspecting victim that someone from overseas has tried to access their account.
People answered because the caller ID was spoofed to make it look as though the call was actually from Google. Seeing a call coming from Google should be your first red flag. Have you ever tried contacting Google customer service? How likely is it that Google is going to pay employees to contact customers by phone to let them know that their account may have been compromised from someone overseas? The best way to know if your account may have been compromised is if you no longer can access it.
The scammers didn’t stop with just a phone call. They also sent an email with the same warning which also appeared to come from Google. The victim is instructed to use a code within the email to recover their account. Of course, clicking on any links or scanning a QR code within said email will allow the scammer access to your account, and possibly more.
According to the article, Google has taken steps to stop the scam and did not see evidence that this was a broad attack. With the rise in AI technology, these types of scams will only become more frequent and more difficult to detect. Your best defense against scams like this one is to use common sense. Think before you answer. Why would Google be calling you?
